Brexit For Managers

The UK has voted to leave the EU, there’s not much you can do to change that today. Managersare often surprised by the amount of trust and respect that their employees have for them. Many will find themselves being pulled aside by employees over the coming days to be asked what “Brexit” will mean for the organisation, and for them as individuals.

It doesn’t matter how you voted, if you voted, or if you had the right to vote in this election, that’s not what your employee needs to know. Employees want to know if they’ll still have the right to live and work where they are, if their job is safe and whether any major movement of employees is scheduled.

You may have a clear set of guidelines from your organisation, that help you to frame the conversation. As amanageryou likely won’t know the answers to all their questions, and that’s OK, it’s even OK to say it, but it’s important to do so in a way that’s reassuring and honest, rather than nervous and filled with speculation. Not knowing the answer isn’t a failure, but not acknowledging the concern will only make it grow.

The most honest answer for most questions for most people today is “we don’t know, and it will take some time for everything to work out, there will be opportunities and threats for our organisation, and we’ll work to ensure the best outcomes. In the meantime, carry on doing a great job.”